The One I Love
by Referee
Summary: A l'il tale of unrequited love. Contains IkexMarth, and a few other yaoi pairings apparent later in the story but IxM is prominent. Rated M for language and possible lemon later on if I feel like it. lD
1. l Prologue l

Buhhhh. This was a little somethin'-somethin' I put together when I was bored, and I actually started writing from the middle. XD; But I think the beginning and end came out okay, so I decided to post it. I'm a new writer, so R&R is lovely. :3 And, since I really don't have anything else to say...uh.

Onto the story? -headscratch- I need to get better at this introduction thing...

**--**

**IkexMarth; The One I Love**

**--  
**

"So, your name is Ike, huh?" an excited-sounding voice piped. It sounded too low in tone to be female, but a bit high-pitched for male. The owner could only be identified by the long, teal hair on his head blowing swiftly behind him in the dreadful snowstorm.

A grunt, perhaps a response to the earlier question from the taller of the two figures, was the only sound. However, it was soon followed by a soft sigh from the shorter.

"I know you didn't want to be bothered..." the high-pitched voice tried again, "but you looked so sad. I had to follow you--maybe I could find out what was wrong!" His voice lilted delicately as if he were nervous, or some previously hidden emotion was making itself clear through his tone. "I don't know... I don't like the idea of someone like you being upset while you're here, and it looks like that's all you've been feeling since you got here three days ago..." he trailed off slightly, recalling the night when all the veteran fighters of the past Smash tournament were gathered to be introduced to the newcomers. He at last stopped babbling, urging the other to say something through his silence. Prince Marth was not so fond of one-sided conversations.

To his surprise, the taller figure actually stopped walking through the snow, his cropped sapphire hair and tattered olive-green headband whipping behind him, even though he was at a standstill. This came as a relief to the Prince, who was sick of walking through a storm that seemed so set on screwing him over. He too stopped walking and stood expectantly a few feet behind Ike, patiently waiting for a reply.

The taller male made a surprisingly gentle about-face to lock eyes with the shorter one, and one of his eyebrows slowly arched upwards.

"Worried? About me?" His voice was musky and hollow from going without fresh air in so long, and he coughed to clear his throat. "Why? Why would you care what was wrong with me? It's got nothin' to do with this thing." he gestured blunty to the towering mansion behind them.

Marth shrugged nonchalantly, as if following some total stranger a few miles out from any kind of shelter in a fatal snowstorm was nothing new. "As I said. I was only worried because you seemed so...Oh, I don't know. You seemed terribly bothered by something. You were the only one out of both groups of comrades not celebrating the other night, so I'm coming to find out why." His words came out a tad harsher than he expected, his convulsive shivering cutting off his statements oddly. It so happened that even if they stood still, harsh blizzard-like winds still attacked them mercilessly, Marth in his usual garb, with only a scarf to protect him from the cold, and Ike, stipped of his armour in favor of a trechcoat-like flight jacket.

The mercenary turned away again, but lifted his head up towards the night sky.

"So you came all the way out to you-don't-even-know-where just to talk to me? Just because I seemed unhappy _three_ days ago?" he questioned, still looking upwards and speaking very softly.

Marth nodded in response, but he then realized that without Ike facing him, he wouldn't see the gesture. So, despite his chattering teeth, he spoke up. "Y..Yes. I mean, it was more than just a little unhappy. Even when you smiled--which was rarely--your eyes weren't smiling, and that worried me." He might've caught how much his words hinted at him watching the taller man during the orientation if he wasn't so distracted by penetrating snow on his bare arms and face.

To his surprise, when Ike turned around again, he was smiling lightly, his eyebrows pulled up in a way that could've passed for apologetic.

"Well, you've succeeded in cheering me up." he chuckled softly. "I didn't know anyone was going to follow me all the way out here, especially not for that reason..." he trailed off, walking in the direction they had come, towards a soft golden glow peeping out from the mansion windows, and beckoned for Marth to follow. "You're...Prince Marth, right?" he asked when the little prince had caught up to him. This seemed to catch the shorter male by surprise, however, because he jumped a little bit upon hearing his name from someone he was sure wasn't paying any attention three nights ago. "Uh. Yes, I am." he stammered, turning his head a little bit to hide the faint blush on his cheeks. He was ordinarily not caught by surprise.

However, he was so preoccupied with his own stupidity that he didn't notice the taller male starting to run, full speed, towards the mansion. Without the wind whiping in their faces, Marth was sure he could fare an awful lot better running. He broke into a lithe sprint, catching up to Ike with ease. As the mercenary raised his eyebrows in askance, he only cracked a smile.

"I got your name before, Ike. So let's say we save actual introductions for another time?" he hinted, speeding up his pace just a tad to give the mercenary a clue. He caught on quickly, and his cautious expression melted away, a wide smirk taking its place. "Sure thing, Prince. But don't blame me if you get left in the dust!" he called as he raced away towards the gigantic building. Marth only laughed as the wind (and his speed) blew his luxurious hair behind his head at amazing speeds.

The two swordsmen raced all the way back to the Manor, occasionally laughing at either the other's or their own silliness for turning hazardous weather into a game.

**--**

Once inside, as an immediate reaction, Marth shivered. A flush was on his cheeks all the way up to his ears; partly from running, and partly from the sudden change in temperature. But he was happier than he'd been in a while, because he was leaning against the inside Manor wall with Ike a few feet away. He was holding a cup of hot chocolate in his hands as if it was sacred, occasionally sipping from it to warm up his frozen bones.

Ike was only leaning, sans trenchcoat, sparking conversation with the little prince. He would talk about his old home, what he did as a mercenary, and a bunch of other things that were inconsequential to him. However, he reveled in full attention whenever Marth spoke up about his past. There were certainly no parallels, and learning about his life seemed vividly interesting.

They talked for what seemed like hours, until finally the prince interrupted his own statement.

"Oh! I have to go, Ike. I have a big match tomorrow and staying up this late won't be helping my performance." He tutted at himself for getting so distracted, before looking back up to his new friend. "It was nice meeting you, though." He flashed the mercenary a genuine winning smile before getting up and stretching mechanically. Ike followed his lead, although when they started walking, they found the other was no longer next to them. Both turned around simmultaneously.

Ike was the first to speak, scratching the back of his head. "Ahh. I guess we're on different sides of the house, huh?" He couldn't help sounding a bit disappointed. Marth sighed, sounding equally dissatisfied.

"Seems that way. Oh well, I guess we'll see each other around, right?" he asked hopefully. Ike responded with a chuckle and a nod, which Marth took to mean he was as excited as he was. However, just as they were about to part ways for the night, he recalled something he had meant to ask. "Ike!" he called, not entirely too loud, but loud enough for the mercenary to turn around with raised eyebrows.

"Where were you going earlier?" he asked innocently. He thought he saw Ike's face turn sardonic and hard for just a quick second before he forced a smile back again.

" 'S not that important. Don't worry about it." he smirked and wrapped one arm around the prince's shoulders in a comforting gesture. Marth flushed and stepped back just a step or two, the unexpected touch leading him to notice how warm Ike was. Huh.

He followed Ike's instructions, deciding it wasn't important enough for him to press. He started to walk in the direction of his room, waving gently. "Goodnight, Ike!" he called before he was out of sight around the corner.

The mercenary waited until he was gone before letting out a long sigh, which was followed by a wide smile. He said nothing, but started walking purposefully to his own room, whistling tunelessly.

**--**

**Author's sentiments:**

There! Prologue is finite. 8D

Hope you guys like so far, I know there isn't much plot in it yet, but it's coming. uwu;;


	2. l Deprivation l

eue Chapter two. What? Regular update schedules? Never heard of them. XD Ahh well.

* * *

_It was very dark. Prince Marth was __almost positive he was dreaming. One of the reasons he came up with was that he had no idea where he was. The other was that his friend Ike seemed too close._

_Way too close._

_Their noses were touching, and the taller man's lips were moving, as if he were talking, but no words came out of his mouth. It was a very strange dream, as the prince was inclined to believe it was, because not only was Ike speaking, but there was something else happening too... If he could just focus his eyes enough..._

_Nope. _

_He couldn't tell._

_All Marth could see was the mercenary's face in front of him, feeling his hands somewhere near his neck. His cheeks, maybe? It didn't matter. Ike was still talking--or rather, the equivalent of talking, because nothing was coming out of his mouth. Maybe he was talking, was the prince too far away to hear him? Well __that didn't make any sense. He was close enough to feel uncomfortable by the advances of the subconcious Ike. But he didn't argue the point with himself too far, he really wanted to know what the mercenary was saying! He should speak up! As he lifted his head up closer to his friend's face, to hear whatever it was he was trying to get out..._

"WHAT THE HELL?" The previously sleeping prince shot upright, sitting up in his bed, panting like he'd been holding his breath the whole time he slept. His hair was messier than it usually was, the static cling he attracted while he slept given no time to burn out. In a state of utter panic, he looked over to the clock on his night-table; 3:40 AM. Marth was slowly relaxing, his abrupt fit of panting leaving as quickly as it had come. However, he was still freaked out. He looked at the clock once more, to make sure he got the absurdly early time right. He groaned and fell back onto his pillow as he realized he'd been sleeping for about three hours. Going back to sleep was out of the question, though--he didn't want that...that..._dream, _or whatever it was, to come back. In fact, he was already attempting to repress the outcome.

"That dream..." he groaned, pulling his pale blue comforter back over his head, "Why...Why did that even..." he trailed off, not worrying about it at the moment. He really only wanted to go to sleep and wake up a normal time, hopefully forgetting about the whole incident.

But sleep never found him.

--

At about eight o'clock in the morning, the bright sun peering through his uncurtained windows, Ike stretched and groaned, sitting up drowsily. He didn't sleep well the past night, the time changes were really wreaking havoc on his schedule. But ever the optimist, he blinked his eyes a few times before taking in his surroundings.

It was very plain. The sun only added a bit of natural light, the lamp on his nightstand untouched and left off. However, his maroon-red sheets were in a bit of an obvious disarray, and his shirt, armour, and sword were all strewn across the floor. Other than that, there was no sign that anyone was living here. He didn't bring anything with him to this tournament he'd been forcibly kicked into, and even if he did, he wasn't given any time to unpack. The same distress he felt a night earlier came back to him as a gray cloud, threatening to lead him to pessimism again. His personal rain-shower threatening to douse him, he stood up stiffly and did a bit of unconscious stretching to help the ache in his muscles. He showered, got dressed, and put his armour on as if his mind was separate from his body, only remembering the source of his previous optimism as he walked outside. As he shut and locked his door behind him, he noticed a shorter...someone...standing right behind him. Without even turning around, his mouth curved upwards into a slight grin and he murmured "Marth."

A small chuckle followed by a delicate cough was the response from behind. The little prince merely tapped his shoulder, beckoning for him to turn around. The mercenary did so, almost ramming Marth over in the process. He didn't, but it still ended up in a rather intimate embrace that once again caused the prince to notice how warm Ike was. He didn't seem sick--was he sleeping in front of a fire or something? They both backed up reflexively; Marth flushing slightly, coughing, and turning away, and Ike scratching the back of his head and staring off to the side. The uncomfortable silence lasted for a few moments, and both males were just staring off into space, unsure how to react.

Ike broke the silence first. "So...uhhh...Good morning, Prince Marth." he mumbled, looking down at the prince awkwardly. "Did you sleep well?"

He didn't notice when Marth's eye twitched--It wasn't incredibly notice_able_. He stared up with a little smile on his face. "Good morning, Ike." He nodded slightly. "For the most part, yes... How about you?" he asked as the pair started towards the kitchen for breakfast.

The mercenary sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. All this changing times has been awful for my sleep schedule, but I'll get by." He chuckled at this, scraping a few of his fingers over his chin aimlessly. His own laughter brought about a little giggle from the trailing prince--It was contagious.

The pair was still chuckling as they made their way into the large cafeteria together, Ike leading by a fraction. Marth went to go and sit down at one of the nearest tables to the entrance, gracefully plopping down in one of the chairs and watching the taller of the two head over to the breakfast buffet line. As soon as the prince was sure Ike wouldn't see him, he laid both arms out in front of him and slumped down on them, his forehead resting somewhere near his elbows. He was still deprived of sleep, and his thoughts about _why _he had gotten no sleep were still haunting him. He groaned to himself, not caring about his public appearance as he let himself fall asleep on his hands.

The last thing he heard was a concerned female voice getting closer to him. He couldn't pinpoint whose it was or what they were saying, but they sounded worried. He wondered what all the commotion was about...

* * *

**Author's Sentiments:**

Mmm. I was eating one of those giant Mrs. Fields cookies while I was writing this. Is that relevant at all? No? I'm sorry.

LOL CHLIFFHANGER SORRY GUYS NOT A GOOD ONE COME BACK NEXT TIME

Anyway.

Hope you guys are enjoying this so far, I'm having fun writing it. :3 There's a bunch of fluffy drabbles for a while, but it's all out of friendship. _Or is it? _Ha! Mmmmn. Well, as I said, I do have a lot of this story written already, it's just a matter of typing up and editing. I really don't have any real sentiments about this chapter since I was distracted by...cookie, mostly. -ADD- ONTO THE REVIEWS? ovo

**Reviews:**

failedpklove; Aww, thanks so much. n.n (Yeah, hehe. Ike in a trenchcoat really made me think, too. XD I think a flight jacket would suit him!)

Cherry Maiden; Thanks, dear. :3 Ah, yes, this next chapter will be longer. But that one was the prologue, after all, so it was really just an introduction. This thing is only getting started, my friend. XD


	3. l Help Me l

The prince awoke with a heart as heavy as his dropping lids.

He wasn't entirely sure where he was, but he felt his head on a pillow, and there was someone pulling his bright turquoise hair out of his face and setting it behind his ear in a way that deeply relaxed him. He heard a sigh, and perked his ears up slightly. It was just enough to hear a feminine whisper.

"What do you think is going on?"

It must have been Zelda who was talking. She sounded far away, and there was a hint of worry, even in her hushed tone. Marth felt something very close to him shift.

"I don't know," a rumbling voice replied. The prince felt, rather than heard, the person talk. Then he remembered where he was and how whoever he was close to was far too close to him. But he was just so comfortable. He burrowed his face further into the warm pillow, and heard a chuckle from behind him. Tiredly, he cracked one of his sky-blue eyes open, only to tear it open so fast he thought it was going to go bouncing out of his eyelid. A matching blue gaze stared directly down at him from his face-up position on his pillow.

He took a few moments to take in his surroundings.

He was in Zelda's room, and she was sitting casually in a cushioned chair that usually pushed under her desk. Now it was facing to the side wall, with the princess sitting on it sideways to face Marth, legs crossed. He himself appeared to be laying on Zelda's floor. He tentatively stared up once again, and noted a tangle of blue-violet hair framed the face of the person staring down at him.

"Ike..." he murmured, and smiled, completely at ease. Ike chuckled again, and turned to Zelda.

"I think he's fine." The mercenary spoke quickly, but softly. He turned back down to Marth. "Princess, your hair tickles." he stated simply.

That was all it took for Marth to open both of his eyes as wide as they would go and stare down. He got an eyeful of Ike's legs and immediately clamped his lids shut. He flushed, and tried not to remember what he had been doing to what he originally thought was an absurdly warm pillow. He had the sense to look abashed.

"Ike, I'm sorry!" he fidgeted some more, lifting his aching head from his friend's lap. As comfortable as he was, he felt that the mercenary's thigh wasn't exactly the best place to keep resting. "I would have gotten up earlier if I'd known where I was!" The prince seemed genuinely apologetic, and he stood up awkwardly, gazing down at his friend with humiliation as more of what he could've done in his sleep came back to him. Ike stood up also, stretching a little, but he didn't look mad. He pulled the prince into an awkward, one-armed hug that shoved Marth right into his chest.

"Don't worry about it, Marth." he said, pulling away and grinning. The prince hugged him back with both arms, perfectly content for Ike to stay where he was. It didn't last too long, however, as he felt Ike tense beside him. He stared up to find the taller swordsman staring levelly over his head at Zelda, who was staring right back.

"Ike?" he asked softly, nudging his chest with one of his palms.

The mercenary sighed. "Sorry Marth, I have to go." His voice was dripping with icicles, but Zelda seemed unfazed. Before Marth could interject, Zelda rose from her chair at about the same time Ike pulled away and started for the door.

"Don't worry, Marth. I want to talk to you." she said, her voice calm but her eyes glaring at Ike. The mercenary shrugged, and with one last wave to the monarchs, he departed out the door. Zelda shut it behind him and turned to face the other royal, whose face was a mask of pouting suspicion.

Zelda sighed, and sat back in her chair, gesturing for Marth to sit somewhere. He plopped down on the edge of her plush comforter with a little squeak from the mattress springs.

"What is it?" It had come out a bit more irritably than the prince had intended, but not that much more.

Zelda stared at him square in the face, her gaze searching his eyes for answers to her unasked questions. "I want to know what on earth is going on with you, Prince Marth." Marth made a noise that could've been called a snort if not from the mouth of someone of his status.

"There's nothing _going on _with me," he snapped, "I'm _fine_! What do _you_ care _anyway_?"

Maybe he had been a bit too defensive.

"Well, Prince. It's not every morning you come down to breakfast looking like your best friend got run over by a raging bull and you fall asleep on the tables, now is it?" Zelda was equally as harsh as the prince had been.

Said prince was about to scream at her. The judgemental little princess would be no match for him. He stood up, with all intentions of letting her have it, and opened his mouth to start his monologue.

He stood there for a little while, barely blinking, and he shut his mouth.

And opened it again.

And shut it for the last time, flopping back down on the edge of the bed in dismay and letting out a loaded sigh.  
He didn't say anything, but the princess opposite him muttered "I thought so..."

* * *

**Author's Sentiments:**

Man, I'm feeling awkward just thinking about that whole lap ordeal.Oogh.

In any case, I know these chapters are really short, but I've been grounded lately, with only the weekends as reprieve. As such, I've been writing a lot, but don't really have the time to transcribe and proofread and all the other important stuff. So the chapters are short. Sorry guys!

**Reviews:**

PoisonedxHearts: Thanks much! -hugs- I do hope I don't disappoint. c:

Yu-poo-san: Thank you very much. :D I know their personalities aren't really canon buuuuuut I can see them acting this way, so I write them this way. Ahaha.

Cherry Maiden: Hohoho, oh you. -handflip- I'M SURE YOU KNOW TOO.

Lady Emmerich: Oogh. Thanks so much for the kind words--Glad to hear them. :D

**Next chapter:**

Zelda plays a bit of psychiatrist as Marth attempts to explain why he hasn't been sleeping, and why he's so distracted all the time. Then we switch protragonists and see what Ike makes of all this. I've got news, folks. It ain't pretty.


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